Today we have a guest post from Michael Longsdon Elder Freedom @ Empower the Elderly  http://elderfreedom.net. Michael will share some thoughts with us about senior downsizing for a successful move. 

Photo via Unsplash

 

Senior-Friendly Downsizing: How to Ensure a Successful Move

 

Thinking about downsizing in your senior years? After retirement, many seniors find that they no longer need as much house as they once did. And all of those rooms get a little more difficult to maintain and keep clean over the years. Who wants to spend their retirement mowing the lawn, wading through clutter, and plugging away at relentless home maintenance? If you’re considering a minimizing move, here are some tips to keep in mind!

 

Selling Your Home in a Pandemic 

Selling your home is a major part of the downsizing process, and likely one of the more stressful items on your to-do list. To make things easier on yourself, hire a great real estate agent who can take the lead. An experienced agent like D. Lisa West will have all the knowledge needed to market your home and find buyers as quickly as possible. This is especially important during the coronavirus pandemic! If you’re concerned about potential buyers bringing COVID-19 into your home, ask your real estate agent about virtual showings. Thanks to video-chat tours and 3D walkthroughs, it’s possible for buyers to tour homes without ever stepping foot inside! 

When it comes to selling your home, you also have to consider the best day to list it. According to Redfin, homes listed on a Wednesday tend to sell for the most money while homes listed on a Thursday typically sell the fastest. So, it’s important to think about your goals carefully when deciding which day of the week to list your home!

 

Finding Your New Home 

As you begin looking for your new home, think about where you want to live. This is your opportunity to move somewhere that fits your lifestyle and personal preferences.

Besides location, there are a variety of other factors to consider when searching for your new home. For example, how will your home accommodate aging in place? Buying a home with accessibility features will ensure you can remain in the home for as long as possible! Keep in mind that you can make your own accessibility modifications after moving in. You can hire a professional to take on all kinds of home modification projects, like lowering your countertops, adding a stairlift, or replacing showers and toilets. You’ll also need to consider home prices in the areas you’re looking in. Seattle home sales have been averaging $742,000, but you can find a smaller home for considerably less.

 

Decluttering Your Possessions 

One of the most difficult parts of downsizing is decluttering. Not only can decluttering be physically taxing, but mentally exhausting as well. It’s important to approach your decluttering projects one day at a time. Start with a really small section of your home, like a single kitchen drawer or bathroom cabinet, and work from there. The last thing you want is to take on too much and wind up overwhelmed. It can also help to have a friend or family member with you for emotional support and encouragement. You’ll be surprised at how hard it is to say goodbye to stuff you don’t even want!

 

Surviving Moving Day

 Moving day is another hurdle to conquer on your downsizing journey. Again, take it one step at a time. Constellation recommends creating a moving checklist a couple of months out so you can start tackling important tasks well ahead of time. For example, it’s a good idea to book your movers at least two months in advance, especially during the busy summer season. Remember to update your address with the post office and switch over your utilities to your new home. Finally, if you have pets, make a plan with a friend or family member to get them away from the moving action. Once the moving day is over, you’re nearly done with this whole process. All you have to do is unpack and set up your new home!

 

Downsizing isn’t easy, but the result is often worth the work! Think about how your life will improve without the ongoing demands of your large house and the clutter it contains. As you navigate the downsizing process, focusing on your end goal will help you make it through!

Great Tips to Assist Seniors Tackling Financial Decisions After a Spouse Has Passed

I work with many seniors in the real estate business and like to help and support them as they age. Lucille Rosetti  recently shared some information with us about assisting seniors with financial decisions after a spouse has passed.  If you would like more information you can reach her at the following places.  info@thebereaved.org │The Bereaved 

                                          Photo by Pexels

Great Tips to Assist Seniors Tackling Financial Decisions After a Spouse Has Passed

Losing a loved one is an emotional challenge, but many people don’t realize that it’s also a financial challenge. When a senior has lost their spouse, there are monetary decisions that must be made to help support and prepare the senior loved one even when they will not feel ready to move forward. As a senior prepares to look toward their future, they will have to make decisions such as downsizing their home or protect themselves from potential financial abuse. This list of tips will help protect your beloved senior from being taken advantage of and let them focus less on their finances and more on their retirement.

Consider Downsizing the Home

Unfortunately, when a senior’s spouse dies, they are often left alone in their home. If a senior hadn’t downsized previously — or is interested in downsizing again — it is important to contemplate where a senior is interested in living next. According to SeniorDirectory.com, there are many different reasons why seniors downsize, including making money to pay off previous expenses or keep the home more mobile-friendly and prevent potential tripping.

When seniors consider downsizing, it is important to decide if they would like to move to a new neighborhood, a retirement community with fellow Baby Boomers, or move down the street in order to access current friends and family members. As your senior begins the process of moving and getting rid of items, it is important to let them grieve and reminisce. On the other hand, giving away items early allows for seniors to share their stories with the younger generation that makes the gift even more special.

Develop a Plan for Mental Decline

As seniors age, it is important to prepare for the possibility of their mental health declining even if they don’t have Alzheimer’s or neurodegenerative diseases. However, one of the first signs of Alzheimer’s or dementia is the lack of being able to handle financial matters. As you take your senior to the doctors to understand what could be impacting their mental function, help your senior loved one simplify their financial lives. Seniors may need and some banks want trusted family members to be the agent when it comes to estate-planning discussions. If your senior starts to forget paying bills on time or accusing someone else of stealing or mismanaging money, these are signs that they may no longer be in the best position to handle their finances.

Avoid Elder Financial Abuse

When a senior loses their spouse, they also lose their financial partner when it comes to making decisions with besides income. According to Consumer Reports, it is estimated that $30 billion a year is lost by seniors due to elder financial abuse, and they often go unreported due to embarrassment or poor health. To prevent elder financial abuse, it is important for loved ones to keep their seniors from becoming isolated. This includes asking questions and making sure they are paying their bills on time. In these situations, it is imperative to keep an eye on your loved one, including looking for unusual activity in bank accounts, changing from a basic account to a more complicated one, new people accompanying them to the bank, or sudden unpaid bills.

Think About Opening a Business

On the other hand, seniors who are still cognitively sharp and want to continue working should consider opening their own business. This will help give your senior something to actively work on that can help them transition into a life without their spouse. Starting a business is great for seniors who want to do what they love full-time, learn something new, and be their own boss. Other great jobs for seniors include being a travel tour guide, babysitting, or becoming a tutor. As they’ve already retired, this job should be thrilling and fun.

As seniors lose their life partner, it is important to help them through this difficult time. This includes keeping an eye on your loved one and helping them make financial decisions. Lastly, encourage your senior to be as independent as they can.

Today we have a guest blogger, Mike Longsdon. Mike has had personal experience helping his aging in-laws downsize and move. He learned a lot about the process and would like to share some of the things that he learned. If you would like to look for other helpful information on his website, you can find him here Elder Freedom. You can also reach him by email at mike@elderfreedom.net.

3 Ways to Reduce Stress When Helping Seniors Downsize and Move

Do you need to help a senior loved one downsize and move? It’s a potentially stressful task to take on all alone, but with the right help, you can make the process much easier for all involved. You need to think about the emotional and physical ways moving can impact you and your loved one, as well as the steps, like the ones below, you can take to mitigate these issues.

Research Financing Options for the New Home

To finance the purchase of a smaller home, many seniors use the money they make from selling their old house to secure a short-term mortgage, one that has a monthly payment that they can easily afford. As such, it’s important to do plenty of research about area mortgage rates before settling on a loan. Also, as PennyMac explains, veterans can qualify for a VA loan, which allows them to purchase a home with low interest rates and no down payment. Additionally, VA loans may offer additional benefits that government programs do not.

Consider Hiring People to Streamline the Process

Downsizing and moving homes for your senior loved one can be overwhelming. Many times, seniors have amassed a lot of possessions over the years, and sorting through things on your own can be impossible. You need a lot of patience and focus to make the multi-step process go smoothly, or you could think about hiring someone to help. Many seniors and family members opt to use senior move managers to take some of the stress out of downsizing, discarding, and relocating senior belongings. Having this third-party perspective can help reduce the likelihood of emotional tensions when it comes to letting go of unneeded things, and can also give you some extra help planning the rest of your loved one’s move.

Whether you use a move manager, you should definitely think about hiring professional movers to help with the actual move. Hiring move helpers takes the burden of moving heavy items and boxes off of you, and it also makes packing easier for seniors. However, be sure to research when the busiest moving times are and the best moving companies in your area.

Stay Safe When Packing and Moving Items on Your Own

Sometimes, hiring professional helpers just is not in the budget for seniors and their families. If you do need to lend a helping hand to your senior loved one, make sure you do so without risk of injury to yourself. Many people fail to research proper back positioning for lifting heavy objects, such as boxes and furniture, which can result in serious injuries. It’s important to maintain a straight back (no hunching over) when attempting to move or lift boxes, but also take your time in doing so. If something feels too heavy for you, it probably is.

Packing your seniors’ possessions can be emotionally stressful as well, especially if you are afraid of causing any damage. Head to a local home improvement store to pick up some packing supplies, like sturdy boxes, bubble wrap and tape, to get a good start on the task. Then, look online for some handy packing tips that can keep breakable and fragile items much safer during the move. Knowing how to safely pack and ship appliances, glass items. and TVs can prevent unnecessary stress for you and your senior.

Help Seniors With Alzheimer’s Adjust to the Move

For many seniors with Alzheimer’s disease, the need for a big move comes after the loss of a loved one. Addressing the grief seniors feel after a loss should be your primary focus before you begin the process of downsizing and moving. You can use these Alzheimer’s resources to help your loved one (and yourself) work through the complicated emotions and thoughts that bereavement with dementia can bring about.

If your loved one is moving to a new home, it is important to make sure that space will provide safety. The home must be free of objects that could present a danger for those with dementia and cognitive function problems. This includes household chemicals, sharp kitchen tools, and potentially dangerous electronics. Anything that could cause harm to the senior or others in the home should be kept locked in a secure location that is not accessible for the individual with Alzheimer’s. You should also think about whether a nursing home would be a better choice for your loved one to protect the health and safety of everyone.

Downsizing to a new home can be a painful process for seniors, especially following a loss. As a loved one, you can help your senior find peace with this important transition and take some stress out of the process for yourself as well.

Photo Credit: Unsplash